Work Text:
Usually, the Crux only ever arrives at Liyue while the sun is still up. Beidou personally plans their schedule that way so that her crew, as well as herself, could spend more time on land while it’s still bright.
However, tonight is an exception.
The moon is already up in the sky in between shining stars and gray clouds when Beidou steps foot on the harbor. There’d been an urgent cargo importation they had to fulfill by some merchant from Inazuma. And as it turns out, he lost an important document, a required piece of information to keep their transactions legal — thus delaying the Crux’s deportation by five hours.
Beidou was even starting to get pissed off, bits of lightning sparking from her fingertips. She had to visit a very impatient lover of hers, and by impatient, she means ’Ningguang is going to fucking kill me.’
It’s an exaggeration, of course. Ningguang isn’t one to be a controlling type, but Beidou did promise to notify her everytime she was sailing home through letters. And, well, because of the accident, she’d sent her letter five hours early, and Ningguang — being the worrier that she is — is probably sweating her sexy ass off.
So, it’s only right of Beidou to immediately visit the Jade Chamber to notify her girlfriend that she did not get swallowed by some sea monster.
As soon as she stepped through the main entrance, Baishi, of all the other secretaries, had to be the one to meet Beidou.
“Welcome, Captain,” Baishi greets, a little too bitterly to be considered polite. “Lady Ningguang is in her Chambers, most likely asleep. Now is not the right time to disturb her.”
“Huh? Did you tuck her in bed yourself?” Beidou teases. “Read her a bedtime story?”
Baishi’s face burns but remains stoic and unamused. “I… I suggest you visit tomorrow, Captain.”
“Hey, no way I’m walking back to Guyun.” Beidou groans. “I’m sure it’s fine.” she says before moving past Baishi who runs after her.
Baishi tries to stop her, calling Beidou names and tugging her qipao, but remains unsuccessful. “I don’t want to get fired— Please, Captain, I love this job.”
Beidou reaches the front of Ningguang’s doors. “Oh, I’m sure you do.”
The two continue bickering, voices becoming louder until the doors slide open, revealing a very disheveled Ningguang standing in the doorway.
Beidou can only stare in surprise, mouth gaping open at the sight of Ningguang with her face tinted red and droopy eyes. It’s almost as if she’s drunk.
“Lady Ningguang!” Baishi rushes forward, only to be stopped by her own professionalism. “Do you require assistance?”
Ningguang squints at Baishi like she’s struggling to recognize her own secretary. “You… I’m fine. I’m— yes, please go.“
Beidou snorts at Baishi’s betrayed reaction, and watches the secretary storm away. She could imagine a dark cloud over Baishi’s head.
“Your little helper is cute—“
“You.” Ningguang looks at her dead in the eyes, pointing a finger at her.
Ah, shit.
“Miss me…?” Beidou walks forward slowly, opening her arms for an embrace.
Instead of a bone-crushing hug, Beidou gets pulled into a sloppy kiss. Teeth rake against teeth, and the taste of alcohol finds its way onto Beidou’s tongue, intoxicating her.
Beidou returns the favor for a moment before pulling away, which makes Ningguang whine in disappointment. “Slow down, m’lady.”
Ningguang drunkenly glares at her, a pout on her face. Suddenly, she starts crying. “Beidou…”
“What the hell?” Beidou panics as she gently pushes Ningguang back into her private quarters. “How much did you have?”
“One, two, three… twelve,” Ningguang counts, grunting as Beidou lifts her in her arms. “I don’t know. Who cares?”
“I do,” Beidou gently places her on the mattress, making sure the pillows are comfortable enough. She presses her thumbs against Ningguang’s cheeks to wipe her tears.
“You’re so… late,” Ningguang sobs in a way that would most likely make herself regret when she becomes sober in the morning.
“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Beidou presses a kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead as she slowly removes Ningguang’s clothes. “I’m going to undress you, okay? Your body is heating up.”
“Pervert,” she mumbles, but allows Beidou to remove her clothes anyway.
“Do you want a bath, or—“
“Baby…” Ningguang stretches her arms outward for Beidou to cradle into. “Come here.”
Beidou grabs Ningguang’s hands and kisses them. “Only if you promise not to throw up on me.”
Ningguang retracts her arms, folding them in a grumpy manner. Beidou finds it adorable, and she can’t help but grin.
This is Liyue’s Tianquan, ladies and gentlemen.
Suddenly, Ningguang sits up and snatches Beidou’s flask from her belt, drinking the liquor in it ‘til it’s empty. Her face scrunches in disgust, her tongue not used to the taste. Beidou figured they had different drinking preferences.
Beidou retrieves her drink, stretching it back away from Ningguang’s fervid hands. “No more bad stuff for you.”
Ningguang huffs and reaches under her bed, revealing another bottle of wine. Beidou takes it away from her grasp too, earning her a red-eyed glare.
“No.”
“You’re not my boss.”
“You aren’t mine, either.”
“Baby, come on…” Ningguang wails, burying her face into Beidou’s shoulder. “Just… one more.”
From there, Ningguang starts crying. Again.
“What’s wrong?” Beidou puts the bottle down on the ground before wrapping her arms around Ningguang’s shoulder.
Ningguang pulls away, revealing her reddened nose and wet eyes. “You stupid pirate, I hate you so, so much.”
If Ningguang wasn’t so drunk, Beidou would have considered making a snarky comment. So, she decides to calm her girlfriend down instead, wiping away her tears with rough, but gentle fingers.
“You can hate me all you want,” Beidou chuckles. “But you should rest.”
“But I love you,” Ningguang mewls, leaning forward to sit on Beidou’s lap.
“And that,” Beidou softly murmurs as she presses a kiss against Ningguang’s collarbone. “You can also love me all you want. I’d like that.“
After a moment of silence, Ningguang leans down and kisses Beidou, which the pirate gladly accepts.
Subsequently, Ningguang gets Beidou out of her clothes, breaking them apart, only for Ningguang to kiss her again and push her down the mattress.
Their kiss is slow and messy — mostly Ningguang leading — her brashness influenced by the liquor in her system. Beidou doesn’t mind it all, enjoys it even, until Ningguang literally falls asleep in the middle of their make-out session.
Ah, Ningguang is as cruel as ever, even in her drunken state.
Beidou ignores her hormones and positions Ningguang properly on her bed, placing a blanket to cover her bare body. After that, Beidou tucks herself next to Ningguang under the sheets, the mattress much more comfortable than what the Alcor can afford.
Before she forgets, she places a kiss on Ningguang's forehead. “Goodnight, my light.”
With the warm presence of the woman she holds so dear to her heart, it doesn’t take too long for Beidou to fall asleep.
—
Ningguang wakes up with a terrible, terrible headache in the morning. She reminds herself not to drink too much ever again.
Looking down, she notices her naked state, which puts her on alert mode as she cannot remember what the hell happened last night.
She looks around the room to find an empty space beside her, and judging by the crumpled form of the sheets — she wasn’t alone.
As if on cue, Beidou walks in from the kitchen in a robe undoubtedly from Ningguang’s closet, a proud grin on her face. “G’morning, Tianquan.”
“When…” Ningguang rubs the drowsiness out of her eyes before sitting up on her bed, letting the sheets drop from her torso. She doesn’t miss the way Beidou’s eyes snap down and up again. “When did you arrive?”
“Last night.” Beidou sits on the edge of Ningguang’s bed. “I have something for your hangover,” she says, pointing at a glass of some kind of medicine on her bedside table. “I always carry that with me, it’s from the pharmacy. Never thought I’d have to give you one.”
Ningguang takes the glass and drinks the medicine in one gulp, her face scrunching in distaste. “Please remind me not to drink ever again.”
“No promises,” Beidou stands to take another robe from the closet for Ningguang to wear. Now fully clothed, Beidou clutches Ningguang’s hand and gets her out of bed, dragging her to the kitchen in the room. “Now, I made breakfast — not the best but it’s the thought that counts.”
“I’m scared.”
“Don’t be rude.”
The moment Ningguang sees the meals prepared on the table, she imagines herself diving right in, devouring everything in sight. But she remains calm, letting Beidou guide her to a chair.
“This is…” At a loss for words, Ningguang can only stare in awe, almost falling off when she tries to take a seat.
“Cool, right?” Beidou grins, pride in her tone. “I asked Xiangling for some tips.”
“I should thank her, then.”
“Hey, I cooked these for you,” Beidou crosses her arms.
“I was merely teasing,” Ningguang pulls back the chair beside her. “Sit down, my love.”
Beidou obliges. “So,” she starts, pulling one of the plates on the table. “This is my personal favorite; Stir-Fried Filet. And I know you don’t like spice that much, so I didn’t go overboard with the Jueyun Chili this time.”
“How considerate,” Ningguang comments as Beidou starts placing bits of meat as well as rice on her plate.
“Also, I made salad with vegetables this time,” Beidou points at a bowl, rolling her eyes. “‘Precise, pure, smart, and sophisticated’ as you would say.”
“Are you going to lambaste me again, Captain?”
“I would, but I’m fucking starving,” Beidou says. “The others are just some meals I learned during my travels. I’m not sure if you would like them, and I’m not that good of a cook, but hey, I tried and—“
Ningguang grabs a piece of meat with her chopsticks and force-feeds Beidou to shut her up. Beidou chews the food obediently, though a betrayed look remains on her face.
“I appreciate it,” Ningguang mutters, wiping the corner of Beidou’s mouth with her thumb. “Thank you, Beidou.”
A small smile appears on Beidou’s face, one corner of her mouth slightly tilted more upward than the other.
—
After their morning feast, Beidou joins Ningguang in the shower, which honestly shouldn’t be called a shower because they’re making out most of the time.
It may be the warm water on her skin, or perhaps Beidou’s body tight against her like a missing puzzle piece that washes possessiveness over Ningguang. She holds Beidou by the waist like she doesn’t have plans to let go. She kisses her like there’s nothing else to do, and she marks the captain’s body like she’s all hers.
In the end, Ningguang settles by slotting her head into the crook of Beidou’s neck, leaving small kisses there and there; a reminder of her love.
“Ning,” Beidou’s voice is still loud and clear despite the sound of running water. “Last night, you were drinking so much. Did something happen?”
“Not exactly,” Ningguang mutters. She decides to take two pumps of body soap, and gently, she applies it on Beidou, rubbing small circles until her hands roam around the pirate’s lean body. “I just…”
Beidou doesn’t seem to mind Ningguang’s ministrations as she guides her, helping Ningguang reach every crevice of her figure. “You what…?”
“I felt,” Ningguang pauses. “Alone.”
“I understand,” Beidou mumbles, and a second later, she lets Ningguang’s hands roam over her again. “But I’m with you, okay? I’m always with you.”
“And for that, I’m grateful,” Ningguang smiles, her hands stopping at Beidou’s shoulders. “I just fear that one day, fate will take you from me.”
“Well, fate is the same thing that brought us together,” Beidou raises an eyebrow. “Maybe it’ll do just that for eternity.”
“And if not?”
“Then, I’ll do it myself.”
Ningguang’s heart softens, and she can’t help but grin. “I suppose stubbornness is one of your many, many charms, hm?”
“You love me for it,” Beidou grins back, pressing her forehead against Ningguang.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Ningguang whispers. “Yes, I do.”